Friday: Final day of Bloomington annexation trial

Eric Reedy’s binder with the annexation fiscal plan. (May 1, 2024)
Map of annexation areas.s

The trial on the merits of Bloomington’s plan to annex two territories on the west and southwest sides of the city has completed its fourth day. Friday is the final day left on the trial calendar.

It now looks like the trial will be over by the end of the day on Friday.

The proceeding is a judicial review, which was forced by remonstrators, when they achieved the threshold of at least 51 percent of landowner signatures in Area 1A and Area 1B, but fell short of the 65 percent that would have stopped Bloomington’s annexation outright.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, when the pace of testimony from the city’s witnesses appeared to be slower than expected, judge Nathan Nikirk raised the specter of a Saturday session. Continue reading “Friday: Final day of Bloomington annexation trial” →

Bloomington council overrides mayor’s veto of resolution on Gaza by same 9–0 vote as before

Bloomington city council (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington city council meeting. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington city council meeting. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington city council meeting. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington city councilmember Dave Rollo. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington council president Isabel Piedmont-Smith. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington councilmember Isak Asare. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington city council meeting. (May 1, 2024)
Bloomington city council meeting. (May 1, 2024)
Nejla Routsong speaks from the public mic, thanking the eight councilmembers who signed an open letter to IU president Pamela Whitten, calling for a reversal of the Dunn Meadow policy and the bans from campus for those who were arrested. . (May 1, 2024)

At its regular Wednesday meeting, Bloomington’s city council voted 9–0 to override mayor Kerry Thomson’s veto of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza so that humanitarian aid can be delivered.

The 9–0 tally satisfied the two-thirds majority on the nine-member council that is required to override a mayoral veto.

Council chambers were packed on Wednesday night with a crowd who were there to support the override of the veto.

Many of that crowd also appeared to be in attendance in order to support speakers at the public mic who denounced the actions to taken by Indiana University president Pamela Whitten on April 25  and April 27,  when she called in state riot police on Dunn Meadow protesters and made a total of 55 arrests over two days.

Council president Isabel Piedmont-Smith led off the meeting reading aloud an open letter to Whitten, signed by eight of nine councilmembers. The letter demanded among other things that the university rescind its quickly enacted new policy, that prohibits tents during the daytime in connection with Dunn Meadow protests. Continue reading “Bloomington council overrides mayor’s veto of resolution on Gaza by same 9–0 vote as before” →

Bloomington annexation trial a slog in first 2 days, judge warns he could require Saturday session

Map of annexation areas.s

The trial on the merits of Bloomington’s plan to annex two areas on the west and southwest sides of the city has now completed two days worth of testimony.

Every day this week is scheduled for the trial. The pace so far looks like it’s slower than expected. It  could be a challenge to complete the trial by the end of the week.

About the prospect that not all the witnesses on both sides might get their turn by the end of the day on Friday, judge Nathan Nikirk on Tuesday afternoon made clear that he is not keen to “bifurcate” the proceedings. He told the legal teams for both sides to be ready to come into court on Saturday to finish things off, if that’s what it takes.

On Monday, opening arguments were given on both sides, with Andrew McNeil of the Bose McKinney & Evans law firm making the presentation for the city of Bloomington, and William Beggs of Bunger & Robertson representing the remonstrators.

The proceeding is a judicial review, which was forced by remonstrators, when they achieved the threshold of at least 51 percent of landowner signatures in Area 1A and Area 1B, but fell short of the 65 percent that would have stopped Bloomington’s annexation outright. Continue reading “Bloomington annexation trial a slog in first 2 days, judge warns he could require Saturday session” →

Report: Monroe County should build new jail with 450-500 beds, not renovate current one

Monroe County sheriff Ruben Marté. (April 30, 2024)
From left: Lee Jones, Julie Thomas, Penny Githens. (April 29, 2024)

Monroe County should build a new jail with 450 to 500 beds, according to a report prepared by RQAW Corporation, out of Fishers, Indiana.

The report recommends against renovating the existing facility at 7th Street and College Avenue, which has a total of 287 beds.

The estimated hard cost of a new facility, according to RQAW, is around $76 million, with additional costs like design and construction contingencies, and fixtures and furnishings, bringing the total cost to around $99 million. That’s not an estimate for a “co-located” justice center that would include space for all the courts, prosecutor, public defender, probation, and other support services.

The hard construction cost of a fully co-located new facility is pegged at around $142-152 million by DLZ,  which is the county’s consultant for master planning and designing a new jail facility. That’s based on $70-75 million for a justice center and $72-77 million for the jail and sheriff’s office. Continue reading “Report: Monroe County should build new jail with 450-500 beds, not renovate current one” →

Bloomington mayor after state police remove Gaza protest tents on IU campus: ‘I’m not supportive of unauthorized encampments, nor of violence.’

Town hall. From left: Monroe County councilor Jennifer Crossley, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson, state senator Shelli Yoder, and Bloomington city councilmember Isak Asare. (April 27, 2024)
Dunn Meadow State police action April 27, 2024.
Screenshot

In a video message released at 4:17 p.m. on Saturday, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson took a position on the recent state and university police action on the Indiana University campus, which has seen the arrest of 55 protestors, including both faculty and students, on two separate days.

In Thomson’s message, which lasted about three minutes, she said, “I’m supportive of the protesters and their freedom to express themselves.”

She continued, “I’m not supportive of unauthorized encampments, nor of violence.” Thomson added: “I urge all involved to use the principles of non-violence and de-escalation and to be aware that these times are already charged for so many. ”

The demonstration, against the killing of civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army and in support of Palestine as a state, included some tents and pavilions set up on Dunn Meadow. It’s a spot with more than 50 years of tradition as a location for political protest.

Up until this past week, the right to use any “sign, symbol or structure” as part of a demonstration was ensconced in a university policy enacted in 1969.

In her video message, Thomson twice used the word “unauthorized”  to describe the tents in Dunn Meadow that were the stated basis for police action on Thursday and again on Saturday. Continue reading “Bloomington mayor after state police remove Gaza protest tents on IU campus: ‘I’m not supportive of unauthorized encampments, nor of violence.’” →

IU sweeps tents from Dunn Meadow again, state police make more arrests, after pausing for one day

On Saturday, several more demonstrators were arrested in Dunn Meadow on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, as a part of their ongoing demonstration in support of Gaza.

On Thursday, 33 people were arrested by state police. On both days, the stated objective of the law enforcement action was to remove the tents that activists had set up as a part of their demonstration.

The prohibition against tents during the day in Dunn Meadow reflected a departure from the university’s half-century old policy that explicitly allowed such temporary structures as a part of free assembly on campus. Continue reading “IU sweeps tents from Dunn Meadow again, state police make more arrests, after pausing for one day” →

Gaza protest: IU admin takes action with many arrests, sweeps tents from Dunn Meadow

Around mid-morning on Thursday, the Indiana University Divestment Coalition set up an encampment in Dunn Meadow on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, to protest the killing of civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army and the humanitarian crisis there.

The encampment was set up in the meadow to the southeast of the intersection of Fess Avenue and 7th Street, across from the Chabad House, a Jewish community center for the campus.

The activities of the demonstrators included call and response chants led with a bullhorn, playing music, and drumming.

There was an occasional counterpoint from the Chabat House in the form of music amplified by a boom box. Standing on the grounds of the Chabad House, or along the sidewalk, were at least 50 people, with Israeli flags draped around their shoulders. Some held signs that read “Bring them home!” a reference to the hostages taken by Hamas in their Oct. 7 attack.

By around 4:40 p.m, the coordinated effort of law enforcement agencies had resulted in the arrest of several Dunn Meadow demonstrators. The Monroe County jail Thursday morning book-in reports showed 33 people who were booked in on charges of criminal trespass. Continue reading “Gaza protest: IU admin takes action with many arrests, sweeps tents from Dunn Meadow” →

GOP candidates for Monroe County commissioner field questions on economic development

At a Wednesday afternoon forum hosted by the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation at the Monroe Convention center, three rounds of county commissioner candidates from both major parties fielded questions from a moderator and the audience.

That included the two Republican candidates for the party’s District 3 county commissioner nomination.

Competing for the GOP nomination for the District 3 county commissioner seat are Joe Van Deventer and Paul White, Sr.

All registered voters in the county can cast a ballot in a District 3 race. The geographic districts for county commissioners are used only to define the area of the county where candidates have to live.

Primary Election Day is May 7, but in-person early voting has been underway for a couple of weeks, at the Monroe County election operations center at 3rd and Walnut streets.
Continue reading “GOP candidates for Monroe County commissioner field questions on economic development” →

$6K fireworks item sparks Monroe County council talk about convention center expansion

Harrodsburg Heritage Festival organizer Paul Strain and Monroe County commissioners administrator Angie Purdie. (April 23, 2024)
Monroe County councilors Cheryl Munson and Geoff McKim (April 23, 2024)
Monroe County council from near to far: Peter Iverson, Kate Wiltz, Jennifer Crossley, Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim, Cheryl Munson, and Marty Hawk. (April 23, 2024)
Link to dynamic version of property map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1hSQWt9_PyG1bcqZIXQjTWoj9Rk7E-ow&usp=sharing

A $6,000 appropriation from food and beverage tax receipts, to pay for a Harrodsburg Heritage Festival fireworks display, was approved on Tuesday night by Monroe County’s council.

The vote was not unanimous.

Dissenting was Geoff McKim, who said he knew it would amount to a symbolic gesture. Still, McKim wanted to establish that he would not support uses of the food and beverage tax for purposes other than the convention center expansion—until it is clear that revenues from the tax will be adequate to pay for the convention center project.

McKim and Cheryl Munson are the only two members still serving on the seven-member county council who in late 2017 voted in favor of imposing the 1-percent tax on all prepared food and beverages sold in the county.

On Wednesday morning in related convention center news, Monroe County commissioners approved the content of a letter to Monroe County’s capital improvement board (CIB) about county-owned real estate near the existing convention center at 3rd Street and College Avenue.

The letter says: “It has always been the Board of Commissioners’ intent to provide all necessary property that it owns or controls to the Capital Improvement Board for no compensation.”

The CIB was established to oversee the convention center expansion project.
Continue reading “$6K fireworks item sparks Monroe County council talk about convention center expansion” →

March 2024 food inspection reports for Monroe County released by health department

Caption: The image links to a dynamic map. (The color coding scheme goes like this: Green=Zero violations; Yellow=At least 1 non-critical violation but no critical violations; Red=At least 1 critical violation.)

Monroe County’s health department has released the reports for inspections of food service operations that were conducted in March 2024.

Almost half (22) of the 48 places that were inspected in March 2024 had no violations.

Recording at least one non-critical violation, but no critical violations were 7 establishments. Recording at least one critical violation were 19 establishments.

Summaries of the inspections completed in March are now available on a list which is published on the health department’s website.

Continue reading “March 2024 food inspection reports for Monroe County released by health department” →